Category: guest post

I’m delighted to welcome author Itay Koh to What Cathy Read Next today to chat about his historical novel Ernest and Samuel which was published on 13th October 2025. Itay describes Ernest and Samuel as ‘both a timeless adventure and a meditation on faith, friendship, and the enduring power of story’.

Ernest and Samuel is available to purchase in paperback from Amazon or for readers in the US from Bookshop.org. The book is also available in Hebrew.

Drawings of all the characters appear at the end of the book.

About the Book

At the dawn of the twentieth century, two men set out across the Holy Land. From Haifa’s bustling port to the sacred stones of Jerusalem, Ernest and Samuel encounter rabbis, priests, Bedouins, and travelers – each voice drawn from real history.

What makes this novel unique is the way it fuses true events, places, and cultures with the intimacy of storytelling. The result is more than a novel: it is a vivid travel experience, carrying readers into the deserts, rivers, and cities of Ottoman Palestine as if they were walking there themselves.

Rich in detail yet full of heart, Ernest and Samuel will appeal to lovers of history, travel, and literature alike.

Find Ernest and Samuel on Goodreads

Q&A with Itay Koh, author of Ernest and Samuel

What was your motivation for embarking on the novel?

I’ve always written, mainly to my wife and daughters. Back in the day I found an outstanding manager for my businesses and suddenly I had time and began working on the book. I thought it would be fast but it took me five years to complete!

Can you give us a brief description of the novel’s two main characters, Ernest and Samuel?

Ernest Way is a British scholar, curious, sharp-minded and rather proud of his ability to read people. He has come to the Holy Land for an archaeological expedition, though there is more to his journey than he initially admits. He serves as the book’s narrator.

Samuel J. Horn is a wealthy Jewish American, an experienced traveller with a commanding presence, a generous spirit and a private sadness that he rarely shows.

How do the two men meet?

At a railway station, Ernest notices Samuel in a heated argument with a young woman. He cannot understand why the scene affects him so much. Later, while Ernest is waiting for the border inspection, Samuel approaches and asks to sit beside him. A conversation begins, and two strangers who might never otherwise have met find they have rather a
lot to say to one another.

How did you go about your research for the book?

I love history and reading. The research was the most interesting and challenging part. I used countless accounts from historians, universities and archives. My knowledge of the area helped as I spent most of my childhood there. I’m proud to say the research and the writing was done before AI and is genuinely my own work.

Were there any parts of the book that were particularly challenging to write. If so, why?

Oh yes, there were many challenges but the main one was Jerusalem. The amount of sites, history and events are overwhelming and I literally had to go through a process of deduction and focus to get it right.

What was your favourite and least favourite part of the writing process?

To put yourself through such an immense effort, to stay true to yourself and to the facts was a long and rewarding journey. The part I haven’t enjoyed was editing but I also learned a lot from this and I believe being meticulous about this process polished the book.

If you had to sum up Ernest and Samuel in three words, what would they be?

A unique journey.

About the Author

Itay Koh is an Israeli-Hungarian author and entrepreneur based in Amsterdam. The author of Ernest and Samuel, he has a lifelong interest in history and enjoys travelling and surfing. He lives with his wife and their four daughters.

Connect with Itay
Goodreads

I’m delighted to welcome author Alireza Hazareh to What Cathy Read Next today to talk about his novel She Is Just a Kid which was published on 10th September 2026. Described as ‘a story of childhood, survival and hope’, She Is Just a Kid is available to purchase in hardback, paperback or as an ebook from Amazon.

I hope you enjoy as much as I did reading his guest post about the inspiration for the novel. I’m pretty sure you’ll agree with his observation that fiction can connect us with experiences that may be very different from our own.

About the Book

Sara is just a child growing up in a poor and isolated village, surrounded by love, fear, tradition, and dreams she barely understands.

But when decisions are made for her, her life begins to change in ways she could never imagine.

She Is Just a Kid is an emotional fictional story about childhood, fear, survival, kindness and hope. Inspired by struggles that many girls and women have faced in real life, it follows a young girl trying to hold on to herself in a world that keeps changing around her.

A simple, heartbreaking, and hopeful story about how much a child can endure—and how powerful even a small amount of kindness can be.

Find She Is Just a Kid on Goodreads

She Is Just a Kid: Why I Wrote a Story About the Girls the World Often Forgets by Alireza Hazareh

What if you were still a child, but the most important decisions about your future were already being made by someone else? What if your dreams, education, freedom, and even your marriage were decided before you were old enough to understand what those decisions meant?

These questions were at the heart of my inspiration for writing She Is Just a Kid.

As an Afghanistan author now living in Australia, I have often thought about how differently children experience the world. While some grow up dreaming about their careers, travelling, and discovering who they want to become, others face responsibilities and hardships that no child should have to carry.

I wanted to explore that difference through fiction.

The Story Behind Sara

My novel follows Sara, a young girl growing up in a poor and isolated village. Like any child, she has dreams, fears, and hopes for her future. But her life begins to change when decisions are made for her without her understanding or consent.

Through Sara’s journey, I explore difficult subjects, including forced marriage, displacement, family separation, and the struggle for freedom.

Although the novel is fictional, its themes are inspired by real struggles that many girls and women have experienced.

I did not want Sara to be a perfect heroine who always knows what to do. I wanted her to be human: sometimes frightened, sometimes confused, sometimes hopeful, and sometimes simply wishing for an ordinary childhood.

Because before anything else, she is just a kid.

Why These Stories Matter

When we hear about forced marriage, conflict, or refugees, we often encounter numbers, reports, and statistics. But behind every number is a human being.

A girl who might love reading. A child who dreams of becoming a teacher or doctor. Someone who wants to laugh with friends, spend time with family, and feel safe.

I believe fiction can help readers connect with experiences that may be very different from their own. A story allows us to spend time with a character, understand her fears, and see the world through her eyes.

I don’t expect one novel to change the world. But if it encourages even one reader to think more deeply about the rights, choices, and futures of girls, then writing it has been worthwhile.

Finding Hope in Difficult Places

Despite its painful moments, She Is Just a Kid is not only a story about suffering. It is also about kindness, survival, resilience, and hope.

I believe even in the darkest circumstances, a small act of compassion can make an enormous difference.

Sometimes hope comes from an unexpected person. Sometimes it comes from finding the strength to continue when everything seems lost. That is something I wanted readers to remember long after finishing Sara’s story.

A Final Thought

Every child deserves the opportunity to dream, learn, grow, and make choices about their own future. No girl should lose her childhood simply because of where she was born or the expectations placed upon her.

I wrote She Is Just a Kid because I believe these stories deserve to be told, these voices deserve to be heard, and every child’s future deserves to matter.

About the Author

Alireza Hazareh is an Afghanistan writer living in Australia. His fiction explores human experiences, survival, fear, and hope. His novel She Is Just a Kid follows a young girl whose life is shaped by difficult choices, displacement, and the search for freedom.

He also writes horror and suspense stories. Discover more of his work on his website.

Connect with Alireza
Website | Instagram |